1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing apparatus mounted on image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile and a roller used in the fixing apparatus, and, more particularly to a fixing apparatus and a roller for an image forming apparatus employing an induction heating system.
2. Description of the Background
In recent years, there are fixing apparatuses of an induction heating system used in image forming apparatuses of an electrophotographic system such as a copying machine and a printer. In the induction heating fixing apparatuses, an eddy-current is generated in a metal conductive layer by a magnetic field generated by supplying predetermined electric power to an induction-current generation coil. The metal conductive layer is instantaneously heated by this eddy-current to heat, for example, a heat roller.
As one of such induction heating fixing apparatuses, for example, JP-A-2002-295452 discloses a roller in which an elastic layer is closed by a covering member including a metal sleeve.
However, in the Patent Document, it is not mentioned that the metal sleeve slides with respect to the elastic layer to be replaceable in the apparatus.
Therefore, development of a fixing apparatus for an image forming apparatus is desired that prevents, when a sleeve having a conductive layer is slidable with respect to an elastic layer, the sleeve from being broken early because of the slide and realizes the extension of service life of not only the sleeve but also a heat generating member.